JD's Comic Book Thread

I started reading the first Ultimate Spider-Man trade, Power and Responsibility today. I've already been rather surprised that Osborn seems to suspect something will happen to Peter as soon as he heard he got bitten. So, does Gwen ever get introduced in the Ultimate Universe or is it pretty much just MJ?

 

Yes.

 

I just got some spending money for my Birthday yesterday, and I'm considering starting the avengers list you guys gave me. But, Comixology only has the Captain America & The Falcon, Iron Man, and Avengers issues of the Disassembled arc. Would I be OK with just those, or would I be better off just skipping ahead to either Secret War or the first New Avengers (Digital) TPB.

 

As long as you read Avengers 500, the rest of the cross overs are ass, which is why it was all closed down.

 

Avengers Disassembled in the Avengers proper and Secret War are both kind of important for NA.

 

So I don't need any of the tie-ins to follow the main story? What about the post Disassembled Iron Man, and Captain America series, can I jump into those without the Disassembled issue?
I'm not sure yet if I am getting these yet or not, it depends on some plans I have for this weekend.

 

They are not necessary. For Captain America, just start with #1 by Brubaker. Iron Man is the same, but aside from Extremis by Warren Ellis, the rest of the volume isn't very good. It only gets good with Matt Fraction on writing duties.

 

My plans for this weekend worked out, so sometime during the week I'll probably buy and read the digital collections for Avengers Disassembled and Secret War.

 

I bought and read Avengers Disassembled, and Dark Crystal: Creation Myths Vol. 1 today. I also bought and started Fables: Animal Farm, but Comixology stopped cooperating after I finished the third issue of the arc.
My reviews from Shelfari:

 

As a fan of Avengers, it pains me that your first exposure was Disassembled.

Read Kurt Busiek's Avengers run. The first trade is here:

http://www.amazon.com/Avengers-Asse...id=1348138003&sr=8-1&keywords=avengers+busiek

 

Yeah, Busiek's run was way, WAY better than Bendis'.

 

They have that run on Comixology so I might have to check it out.

 

When is the best time during the Fables run to read spinoffs?

 

I picked myself up on of the Nook HDs this week, and I got and started my first Nook comic book today, the first collected volume of Y: The Last Man. I'm only a few pages into it, but so far it's been really good.

 

Y is one of the finest modern comics in my very limited opinion (I only came back to comics about a year ago), but the depth of the story and the scope of it all is wonderful. The finale is also just... ugh, wrenching.

I'd recommend pretty much most things by Brian K Vaughan, though I am just finishing up Ex Machina and have so far, apart from some of the comedic moments, found it to be a touch too self impressed and a little too interested in pushing the political angle rather than developing an actual story. Still, it has some profound ideas (and action-oriented flashbacks) and some fun character beats, but overall the leaning is a little too political and, for oddly for Vaughan, obvious!

Now, Saga, his newest adventure is everything the recent Star Wars films weren't. Mythical, full of whimsy, big Space Opera ideas and interesting political material. Oh and TV's having sex. Fiona Staples is probably the best artist he's collaberated with since Niko Henrichon on Pride of Baghdad and it is the most complete new series of the year to my mind. Well, along withMatt Fraction/David Aja's Hawkeye, which has the finest 6 first issues I've read since, well, Saga. Ha!

I wish more people talked about the comics that are out there which AREN'T from the big two, or heck even from the smaller sub-labels. But no-one seems to want to talk about Sweet Tooth, The Unwritten, Fatale, Luthor Strode, Manhattan Projects and a bunch of other comics which, issues after issue, I find FAR more interesting than the standard Big Two output.


Hugo - Ok, this looks bad...

 

I plan on checking out Manhattan Projects eventually, it sounds awesome. Io9 did a list of the best comics of the year and they did include MP, Saga, and The Unwritten.

Would Prelude to Planet Hulk and the first volume of Hickman's Fantastic Four be good places to start reading those characters?

 

For FF, start with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

 

The start of Hickman's FF run I found I didn't really need that much prior back story to get right into it, and I hadn't really read any Fantastic Four for quite a long time...that is why I love his run so much. You basically just jump into things right off the bat. I think Mark Millar's run was right before?

But yeah if you're totally unfamiliar with the Fantastic Four, I'd recommend starting right at the very beginning

 

Then stop and don't start again till its John Byrne.

 

agreed